Why Oats and Granola Belong Together

Myth Busting: Why Oats Aren't a Thing of a Past

in Partnership with Oat My Goodness

I met Yasaman, one of the founders of Oat My Goodness granola, at an event a few months ago and pretty much instantly fell in love with her and her granola. Yasaman founded the company with her mom, Shohreh (I mean, what’s sweeter than that!?) out of a love for healthy cooking and seeing a need for healthier granola. With insane flavor combos and minimal added sugar, Oat My Goodness was born.

Here’s what I love most about Oat My Goodness: it’s made with oats. Nothing whatsoever against grain-free granolas (there are some that I’m obsessed with!), but at its core, granola = grains. Literally, the dictionary definition of granola is “a breakfast cereal made with rolled oats… nuts, and dried fruit.” Yet somehow, in the midst of all things low carb, many granola companies started abandoning the OG oat. Here’s why I’m ALL about Oat My Goodness, and why we shouldn’t be totally abandoning ship on oats.

Oats

Oats are a whole grain from the cereal plant. To be able to eat them (read: make them easily digestible for humans), they go through a process of milling, heating and cooling, followed by rolling or cutting to produce what we know as oats. They are as healthy as whole grain is – no funky additives, full of fiber, and packed with vitamins and minerals.

Whole grains are an essential part of our diet. The fiber they provide not only helps keep us full, but also helps lower total and LDL cholesterol, regulate blood sugar, stabilize energy levels and aid in digestion. Sure, we can get fiber from fruits and vegetables, but there’s something much more satiating about the soluble fiber from whole grains. Many whole grains are also now fortified with essential B vitamins, like folate. In the 1990’s, the FDA recognized that women weren’t getting many of these needed nutrients, and created an act to add them to grains that women would get enough.

For so many reasons, oats (and whole grains in general) are definitely not something to eliminate from our diets without good reason.

Oat My Goodness

I love that Oat My Goodness is bringing oats back. They’re taking granola back to its original form, but also doing so in a healthier way. Instead of being loaded with sugar like many oat-based granolas are, each serving only has 7 grams or less of total sugar.

Try adding Oat My Goodness to any meal or snack you’d typically pair granola with – an apple with peanut butter, on top of Greek yogurt, or made into a snack bar. My personal favorite way to eat is with almond milk and a little unflavored collagen. Whole grains, protein and tons of flavor – done and done.